


The Dragon Charm

by Treelizard12



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Medieval, Coming of Age, Dark Magic, Elemental Magic, Magical Artifacts, Quests
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:00:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25794763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treelizard12/pseuds/Treelizard12
Summary: An exploration of Luna Lovegood's life had she been born in a medieval alternate universe in which humans gained their magical powers from dragons and she must fulfill a family destiny of protecting a powerful magical artifact.
Relationships: Luna Lovegood/Harry Potter
Kudos: 3





	1. The Charm

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first written work. Please, please, please give me feedback. I'm worried that Luna's age may be wrong and she might not be relatable. I'm also worried that she may be too young, or too old. I would love to hear anyone and everyone's opinion.

Luna Lovegood could barely breathe from excitement. “It’s the charm!”

For as long as she could remember, the small dragon charm dangling before her eyes had been an object of mystery and desire. She gazed upon it, mesmerized by the way it caught the light despite its mundane appearance. If she had happened upon this charm lying in a drawer or fallen behind a desk she would not have given it a second look, but this charm was special. She felt warmth radiate from it invitingly, even before her fingers grasped the smooth brass.

Her father, and before that her mother, kept this charm upon them at all times, hanging from a chain around their necks. She caught occasional glimpses of it, but had never before been allowed to question its existence. Strangely, she never thought about the charm unless she saw it, but the few times she had tried to ask one of the millions of questions that burned within her at the slightest glimpse of the charm, her parents had quickly tucked it away and changed the subject.

Once it was out of sight, all her questions about the charm seemed to fade, but she had never thought of that as strange until now, at 14, when her father revealed it to her at last.

After a long stretch of awed silence, Luna finally allowed her hand to reach forward and take the charm from her father. The moment her fingers caressed the smooth surface, Luna cradled it against herself, applying only enough pressure to keep it in her grasp, as if it were a delicate flower. The warmth radiating from the smooth brass spread over her, bringing about an immense sense of comfort and peace.

Somewhere deep inside herself, Luna felt a connection to the charm, as if she knew its thoughts. The feeling made no sense, it was impossible for a simple object to have thoughts, but the connection was inexplicably real.

Before she could question her father on the matter, he began to speak, “That charm has been in your family for many, many generations. According to your mother, your family took on the task of its protection hundreds of years ago.” He moved to sit in the chair beside her bed, “I know you’ve been curious about it for a long time, but I made a promise to your mother not to tell you anything before you were old enough.”

“Protection?” Luna looked at him carefully, instinctively tightening her grip on the charm at the thought.

“That’s what she told me. I didn’t have the chance to question the matter further, but she did make sure I knew the importance of keeping the charm safe.”

“Safe from what? What does it do?” She chanced a glance at the charm again to see if there were any previously unnoticed identifiable characteristics that might hint at an answer to her question.

“I don’t know what it does,” he answered honestly. “Your mother never told me. All she ever said was that it must never be used, and it must never fall into the wrong hands. She made me promise to keep it secret and hidden. No one must ever find out about the charm and, now that it is your fourteenth birthday, it is time for it to become your responsibility to provide for its protection as well. Your mother and I have been training you for this very moment your whole life, and it is why I have been so insistent on conducting regular evaluations on your progress. I want to ensure that you can protect the charm from anyone who may come looking for it and can defend yourself in the process. This year’s evaluation is going to be the hardest you have ever faced, and it will help me determine if you are ready to take on the fulltime responsibility of the charm’s protection.”

“So…I can’t just keep it now?” Luna felt a reluctance at the idea of parting with the charm now that she finally held it in her grasp. She knew she was meant to have it, even without her father telling her of her family duty. The connection she felt with the charm was as undeniable as it was inexplicable and it seemed to feel the same reluctance as her, it wanted to remain in her possession as badly as she wanted to keep it close to herself.

“Not yet.” Her father smiled gently at her, “You are a skilled hunter, and have proven yourself worthy of learning about the charm, but you have not yet proven yourself capable enough to provide for its protection.”

Luna’s hand tightened around the charm again as she watched her father, “Then, what must I do to prove myself?”

“As I said before, this year’s evaluation will be the hardest you have ever faced. When it is over, we will discuss your performance and what it means for your future as the charm’s guardian.” He stood then and ruffled her hair, “Now, get some rest little Dragonfly, tomorrow is going to be a big day. As a special gift for your birthday, you can keep the charm for the night.”

Luna grinned brightly as she squeezed the charm tightly in her hand, “Thank you Father!”

He chuckled at her excitement, “You’re welcome little Dragonfly. Happy birthday.” Then he touched the glowing runestone lantern hanging by her door on his way out, leaving Luna in darkness as she settled into bed, still clutching the charm close.

**************************

_Something is wrong._

Luna woke up with a jolt and looked around her room. It was still dark, the sky outside her window the deep blue of pre-dawn. Her hand ached and the pain reminded her of the small brass object still caught in her grasp. She had looped the chain the charm was kept on around her neck before falling asleep and now let it dangle as she flexed her hand and searched the darkness for what had woken her. The room looked the same as it had the night before, a desk in the corner with an open notebook filled with notes from her most recent lesson, a rack of weapons mounted on the wall with her weapons’ belt hanging from one end, her travel bag propped against the bedside table, and a trunk at the foot of the bed containing her clothes and a handful of her personal possessions. Despite the room’s standard appearance, the hair along Luna’s arms was standing on edge and she pulled a dagger from under her pillow before picking her bag up from the floor and settling it on her back. She quickly pulled on her shoes and crept to the weapons’ rack keeping an eye on her door as she went.

The night sounds filtering through the glass window were normal, but it was unusually quiet inside the house. She could not hear her father’s rhythmic snoring and a floorboard creaked on the stairs. Luna took a moment to get her weapons’ belt fastened around her waist and secured a few choice weapons to the leather. She had just fastened her sword into place when the soft click of her door opening met her ears. She sank further into the darkness of the room as she watched the outline of a man entering her room and creeping toward the bed. Despite the darkness, she was in a familiar setting and was confident in her ability to escape the room without notice, until a second figure appeared in the doorway sending her pulse racing. Her mind scrambled as she deviated from her original plan and made her way to the window instead, grateful for the careful maintenance that would ensure it opened soundlessly. She reached the window at the same moment the first intruder made it to the bed and ripped back the blankets, then used the momentary distraction of her absence to throw open the window and dive out.

The branches of a tall oak tree caught her, just as she knew they would, and Luna quickly climbed down to the sound of thundering footsteps coming from within the house. She darted to the barn and quickly slipped inside opening the first horse stall and throwing open the doors to chase it out, hoping for a second distraction to allow her to get her horse out and escape into the forest. She was worried about her father, but the charm bumped against her chest and her father’s insistence on the importance of its protection was still prominent in her mind. Xenophilius Lovegood would have to wait; the charm was now her first priority.

Luna escaped into the forest, making her way toward the campsite she used with her father during her annual evaluations. She led her horse down deer trails to reduce the chance of leaving a trail that could be followed and carefully listened to the sounds of the night around her for any indication of things being out of the ordinary.

_Danger._

Luna reigned in her horse and looked around, her eyes straining in the dim light of the morning. She dismounted and listened for a moment, trying to determine where the sense of danger came from. A moment later something impacted the tree next to her with a small explosion, showering her with splinters as her ears began to ring and her horse reared with a scream of fear before bolting. Luna drew her sword and searched the trees for the source of the projectile, barely managing to dodge a second arrow. Then, she turned and bolted. Her pursuers were using runed weapons and she was too exposed to try to fight back, she had no ranged weapons of her own. She needed to get to higher ground and get a better view of her assailants, but before she had the chance to make it very far a chill ran up her spine and she jumped back from a tree that burst into flames. 

Magic. She couldn’t use it herself but she had always had an ability to sense it when it was used near her. Her enemies weren’t just Runics, people skilled in the art of using runes in battle, but also Springs, humans capable of drawing on the stronger, more ancient power of dragons! They would be significantly harder to fight, but not impossible.

Runics like her were limited by the purposes for which the runes they used were created, but Springs were limited only by their imaginations. Speed would be her friend in this battle. Her father had once compared the difference between using a rune weapon and using draconic magic to the difference between using a sword and a bow and arrow. A sword, like a rune, can be wielded with little thought, but Springs have to fully conceptualize the desired outcome prior using their gift, much like an arrow must be aimed before it can be fired effectively. 

Luna darted around the flaming tree and a little further into the woods making it up a small incline before turning to face her pursuers. She pulled out a handful of runestones from a pouch in her weapons’ belt as she went and ran her thumb over the lines etched on each one as she carefully arranged them in her grip. Before the first figure came into view she heaved a stone in their direction. When it landed, a brilliant light burst forth, temporarily blinding anyone who was unprepared. Luna didn’t wait for the stone to hit the ground before charging forward with the next rune prepped to be thrown. 

The moment it was safe to open her eyes again she spotted the first assailant and loosed the stone. It hit its mark and the man found himself bound tightly by vines as his vision cleared. She threw a third rune at the second attacker who found himself bound in the same manner as his companion. Before either could react to their bindings, Luna leveled a blade at each of their throats, grateful that they were standing close enough together for the tactic to work. She knew at least one of the two was a Spring, but was uncertain about the abilities of the other, or even which of the two had set the tree ablaze. Her pulse was racing, but her weapons were runed and she was prepared to use lethal force the moment either man moved.

“Well Xenophilius, you said your daughter was fast, but I honestly didn’t believe you until now.” The first of the two men spoke with a chuckle and a glance off to Luna’s left. 

Luna refused to react beyond focusing her hearing more in the direction the man had looked, the comment could easily be a distraction tactic and she wasn’t going to let her guard down. She kept the tip of her weapon leveled at the man’s neck and her eyes focused on both men as much as possible, watching for any minor movements that could indicate an attack. 

“You gonna have her stand down or are we going to have to make a choice between a slit throat and collapsing to play dead?” The second man asked, looking off in the same direction as the first. 

“Easy Luna, you passed the test, you can stand down.” Xenophilius approached from her left with a chuckle of his own.

Luna took advantage of the men being off balance from their bindings and dropped her blade from the second to ram her shoulder into the first, knocking him into his companion so they both fell to the ground and she was able to turn a sword on her father, stopping it short of his throat.

A broad smile spread across his face as he watched her, “Don’t trust anyone.” He nodded slightly, his expression full of pride.

Luna smiled back, and after a moment, lowered her blade. “So this was all a test?” She glanced briefly at the two men who were just beginning to make their way to their feet after freeing themselves from the vines.

“Just the beginning of this year’s evaluation.” He looked to the other men, “Give me a moment with my daughter and I will meet you both back at the house.”

The men both nodded in acknowledgement before making their way back through the woods.

Xenophilius waited a few moments to be certain the men were out of hearing range before turning back to his daughter. "Alright, you've had your gift long enough now, time to give it back until you've earned it properly." He held a hand out to her and waited patiently.

Luna hesitated as she looked at her father's outstretched hand, her own hand finding the charm under her shirt, "But, you said I passed the test...'' She was reluctant to relinquish the charm now that it was finally in her possession.

"This test, yes, but not your full evaluation. I have to see that you are fully capable of providing for its complete protection in all scenarios before I can permanently entrust you with its care. As you continue your evaluation you will be put into scenarios where you and the charm are dangerously exposed, I cannot let you keep it until you have proven that you can protect it at all times.” He spoke calmly, keeping his hand outstretched.

Luna hesitated a moment longer, she had never defied her father before, but the thought of surrendering the charm was torturous. She met her father’s steady gaze for a long moment before her dedication and trust in him outweighed her desire to keep the charm close and she took the necklace with the charm off, holding the warm brass in her palm to keep it out of sight as she placed it in his hand and released it from her grasp. Instantly, Luna became aware of the late fall cold turning her veins to ice and remembered she was only wearing her night clothes. She began to shiver and noticed her breath fogging the air in front of her for the first time as she tucked her fingers into her armpits to try to warm them. She felt as if she had just lost a piece of herself and regretted returning the charm to her father. She didn’t speak to the fact though as she took in a deep breath and looked up at her father. “What do I have to do next?” 

Xenophilius smiled and unfastened a couple of pouches from his belt, holding them out to her as he spoke, “Here is a bag of rune stones and some extra coin to help you along the way as you move forward with your evaluation. Now, go fetch your horse. You will need her if you are going to complete all required tasks within the allotted time.”

“How much time do I have?” 

“You are to meet me back at our evaluation campsite no more than ten days from now. Good luck.” He smiled and dropped a hand on her shoulder, squeezing once before turning and leaving her standing cold and alone in the middle of the woods. 


	2. The Second Test

_You are to ride south to the town of Gallingway. Once there, replenish your supplies and return to camp. Remember what you are trying to earn, everything is a test, magic is tricky, and no one can be trusted._

Luna burned the note after carefully reading through it twice. It had been fastened to her horse when she had found it saddled and standing patiently in a clearing, munching on a patch of grass that had survived the winter cold as if it hadn’t bolted and left her stranded only an hour before. Tracking the animal through the woods had been harder than she expected, but thankfully the activity had helped her to warm up a little, especially since she had decided to change into the traveling clothes tucked into her backpack before setting out after the beast. Once she had found her, the increased difficulty of the task had become clear as she found the animal fully saddled and bridled meaning someone had found her first. Even before reading the note, Luna had not trusted the fully tacked-out horse to not be a test in itself and had removed all gear, carefully searching it over twice before replacing it on the horse. The note had been discovered in her search and now she turned to start her journey south. 

She had only ever been to Gallingway once before. When she was ten, a group of gypsies had set up camp outside the town and her father had taken her to visit. She had been fascinated by all the colors of the tents and enjoyed all the exotic wares the gypsies had offered in booths ladened with goods. They spent three days watching the different performances the gypsies had put on and listening to stories of far away lands before making their way back home. Luna kept a small dragon figurine from that trip tucked away in her traveling bag. 

While the gypsies were memorable for all their colors and liveliness, Gallingway itself was only a faint image in her mind. It had appeared dull next to the gypsy camp and the people were subdued, going about their business and paying little attention to anything else. From what she could recall, the town’s layout was simple, a town square surrounded by shops, most of which had a loft for the shop owner on the second floor, a couple of blocks of homes, and fields stretching out toward the east. There was an inn on the western side of the village and the main road used for travel between the Western and Southern Outer Regions of Allendale passed along the village’s southern border. 

Knowing her father, and based on her past annual evaluations, Luna expected her path to be ladened with traps both magical and mechanical and knew that gathering supplies in the town would be a challenge. If the two men who had attacked her at the beginning of her evaluation were going to continue their participation in the evaluation, Luna would have to be careful to go unnoticed while in town. The men knew what she looked like now, she would have to change her appearance before making her way into town. She also had to consider the direction from which she entered town. A traveler approaching from the north would be an obvious giveaway, and approaching from the west would be suspicious as well, given that Heith Village was located slightly west of Gallingway. Approaching from the south would be less obvious, but approaching from the east would be the hardest, and the least expected. 

Operating under a strict deadline would complicate things. If she had unlimited time, Luna could make a wide loop around the outskirts of Gallingway, passing almost into the kingdom of Balbaria before hooking around and approaching the town from the south east. The journey would take over a week though, and Luna still had to plan for a return trip. Just taking the road from Heith Village to Gallingway was a three day journey.

Luna was so involved in trying to plan out her journey that she nearly led her horse directly into a trap. A ray of sunlight broke through the dense foliage overhead, highlighting thin wires stretched across her path in a net formation. Luna noticed the net just in time to pull on her horse's reins and turn her to the side to keep from walking head first into the trap. She shook herself from her thoughts and dismounted to inspect the wires, paying careful attention to her surroundings in case there was a second trap meant to be triggered in the event of the first’s discovery. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she stood in front of the wire net and cleared her mind. 

Runes teased at her senses, like a faint, unidentifiable scent on the wind. They were weak, not strong enough for her to locate their exact location, but just strong enough for her to be able to feel their magic nearby. She was unable to discern anything further before being forced to open her eyes and rub at her temples as she chased away the headache that always accompanied her attempts to consciously sense sorcery. 

Luna returned to her horse, taking the reins and leading it around the net. She searched the ground before each step to ensure the absence of additional traps and took a moment to inspect the net’s anchor points once she found them. Runes were carved into the trees and stones attached to the wires. Had she walked into the trap, the wires would have thickened into ropes and the trees would have been felled so as to drop the net over her. It would have been a shameful end to her evaluations and she chastised herself for getting lost in thought, steeling herself to remain more focused for the rest of the evaluation. Her father had warned multiple times that it would be her hardest yet, it was time for her to act accordingly.

Luna found her next major test in the form of a wanted poster pinned to a tree along the road to Gallingway. She had encountered a handful of traps over her three days of travel, but the site of the poster made her heart skip a beat and she snatched it from the tree quickly before darting back into the forest, away from the road. The likeness on the poster was so accurate it was as if she had looked in a mirror. Long, wavy hair, high cheekbones, and almond shaped eyes. There was even the small, jagged scar on her chin from a hunting accident a couple years ago. She was impressed by how accurate the drawing was, but also intimidated. The poster made her out to be a thief, and if there were more throughout the town, she would have to evade the notice of more than just the men working with her father. 

Once she was off the road and concealed from the wandering eyes of any travelers, she knelt and pinned the poster to a tree, pulling her bag into her lap. Pulling out a bowl, she emptied a small jar of powder and emptied it and some water into the bowl mixing them into a thin paste. She then took a moment to let down her hair, careful not to cut herself on the strap of leather studded with spikes she kept hidden in the braid. She always insisted on keeping her hair long, and her father always insisted on her putting the strap into her braid as a safety measure to keep it from being grabbed in a fight.

After freeing her hair from its braid, Luna took a moment to breath running her fingers through the full length of the locks. Over the years, her memories of her mother had begun to fade, but one thing she still remembered was her mothers’ fingers running through her hair as she tied it back into a braid every morning. Keeping her hair long now allowed her to relive the old routine and keep the memory alive. 

Luna didn’t allow herself to reminisce for too long before running her fingers back through her hair one more time to gather it together, then took in a deep breath and ran her dagger through the bunch removing over half its length. She let her breath out in a gasp as she let the separated hair fall into her lap and ran her fingers through the new length. She had been taught that the easiest way to change her appearance was to change her hair, but had always hoped she wouldn’t have to resort to the measure. She had a feeling part of the test behind the wanted posters was to see if she would cut her hair. Her father knew its length made her feel more connected to her mother, it would make sense for him to be concerned she might refuse to cut it due to that connection. 

Once Luna had buried the cut hair, she pulled on a pair of gloves and began to evenly apply the paste from earlier starting at her scalp. The poster described the snowy blonde color of her hair in addition to depicting its length and the dye would hopefully darken it without causing the shade to match the charcoal shading of the poster’s drawing. She had always hoped that the jar of dye powder would be all that she needed should she ever have to change her hair to evade recognition, this years’ evaluation was forcing her to realize that she couldn’t control every situation and make it go the way she wanted, sacrifices would have to be made in order to earn the charm and provide for its protection in the future. 

After mixing the dye into her hair, Luna applied what remained of the paste to her gloves as evenly as possible. Her father and anyone working with him would likely expect her to dye her hair and she didn’t want an unevenly stained glove to cause any suspicions to a well trained eye. She studied the poster as she gave the dye time to set, searching for any additional changes she could implement to make herself less recognizable. Finally, she used a final bit of dye to create a dark spot over her cheekbone near the outer corner of her right eye, hoping the mark would appear natural and draw the eyes of anyone looking at her away from her scar. 

When she was done using the dye to modify her appearance, Luna took the bowl to rinse it out in a nearby stream and carefully rinsed her hair, taking every precaution against accidentally staining her skin. She then braided the hair on either side of her face and tied it back to keep it from falling forward and allowed the rest of her hair to fall free, giving her an overall more feminine appearance compared to her normal style that focused more on practicality than appearances. The new sensation of the ends of her hair brushing against her neck was bothersome and she had to exercise a considerable amount of self restraint to keep from constantly trying to brush it off but she knew the overall effect of the changes would be significant. She could only hope they would be significant enough to prevent her from being recognized, especially considering she couldn’t risk leaving her horse alone. There was no doubt her father would seize the opportunity to steal her horse if she gave it to him. Given that the wanted poster gave no mention of her having a horse, she hoped that the animal wouldn’t give her away. 

Once Luna was confident she had done everything within her capabilities to change her appearance and prepare to enter town she made her way back onto the road, trying to mentally prepare herself to face any surprises her father had waiting for her on this next stage of her evaluation. 


	3. Escaping Gallingway

Luna knew better than to use one of Gallingway’s main gates to enter the town. Her father and his friends would be watching those entry points for her and there would be no way for her to appear inconspicuous as a lone woman barely out of childhood. Instead, she found the place where women gathered to do the laundry next to a stream just outside of town. There was certain to be a small gate for the women’s use, and she had better chances of blending in with the crowd. 

She did not, however, have her own basket for laundry so she scanned the gathering of women as they gossiped and worked, searching until she had one with a similar skin tone as herself and whose hair was the same shade as hers. The woman was near the outskirts of the main group, humming to herself as she worked. Luna used her slight discomfort around people to her advantage as she approached the women, carrying a bundle of clothing in her arms, “Excuse me…” She spoke hesitantly, her voice soft with lack of confidence.

The woman looked up and a smile painted her face as she took in Luna’s slightly travel worn appearance, “Hello dear, how can I help you?”

“My night clothes and blanket are in desperate need of washing but I do not have any soap and do not have enough coin to pay to have them laundered. I was hoping I may be able to pay you to use some of your things for myself? I will do all the labor and try to use as few supplies as possible.” She scrambled to convince the woman to accept the deal. 

The woman’s smile only grew as she motioned for Luna to join her by the stream, “I will accept payment in the form of some company, and perhaps a story? What brings you to our town?”

“Oh, I am just stopping to try to replenish some supplies, I hope to move on by nightfall.” Luna smiled at the woman as she knelt and began to wash her things.

“But your clothes will hardly have had time to dry by then.” 

“I can’t afford to stay any longer, I am expected somewhere else.”

“And where might that be?”

“I am traveling to meet my Uncle in the Western Outer Region.”

“Are you traveling all alone? Where are you coming from?”

“I am making my way from a small village just over the border into Balbaria. My father has been accepted as a knight and can no longer provide for me so he is sending to the care of my Uncle. He could not afford to send me with an escort.”

“What of your mother?”

“She did not survive the last plague.” Luna bowed her head as her voice softened.

The woman’s face contorted with empathy, “I am sorry for your loss, dear. Are you certain you must be moving on so soon? My husband and I have an extra room now that my daughter has married, you are welcome to stay for the night and get some rest. If you don’t mind my saying, you look as if you have had a long journey so far.”

“That is very kind of you, but I really must move on once I’ve gotten my supplies. My father will worry if he does not receive word of my safe arrival soon.”

The woman nodded, “Well, you can hang your things at my place while they dry and I will help you get your supplies. The market vendors can get greedy with travelers sometimes. They are all too aware of how far a traveler has to travel between here and the next town with supplies along the Southern Road.” She moved to place the last of her things in a basket then grabbed one of Luna’s garments to begin helping her. “My name is Bethany, but you can call me Beth if you like.”

Luna smiled gratefully at her, “Thank you Mrs. Beth.”

“None of that now, just Beth if you please.”

“Beth.” Luna nodded with a grin and turned her focus to finishing her laundry. 

“I know the stable owner at the western end of town, you can put your horse up there while we go to market and then she will be waiting when it is time for you to leave.” Beth offered as her and Luna gathered the laundry to be carried back to town.

“I would rather keep her with me. She is my most faithful companion.”

Beth hesitated, “Will she carry supplies?”

“Of course.” Luna emphasized the statement by placing the basket of laundry she was carrying on the horse’s back, leaving a hand on it to provide balance.

“Then it may be very useful to have her along. I can pick up some fabrics that I have not been able to carry on my own, at least not in one trip. That is, if it is alright with you and your horse.”

“We would be happy to help, especially after all the help you are providing us.”

“Well then, today is turning out to be quite a fortunate one indeed.” Beth smiled and led the way through a small gate leading into the residential part of Gallingway. Once their laundry was hanging on the clothesline in Beth’s garden, she guided Luna through the town to the busy market place at its center. Luna was grateful for her kindness and guidance and by watching the woman from the corner of her eye, she was able to keep most of her focus on identifying any potential threats among the crowds. She did her best to remain engaged in conversation with the woman however, asking her questions about her family to keep her talking. She even helped her with some of her shopping, pointing out the freshest herbs offered at one booth and identifying which fabrics caught her eye as ones that might be appealing in the form of a dress. Beth was a seamstress by trade and liked hearing Luna’s opinion on what other visitors to the town might like.

Luna’s hope was that, by shopping alongside Beth, she might appear as her daughter to anyone who didn’t know the woman. Her plan seemed to be going surprisingly well as she finished gathering supplies without incident and followed the woman back to her home to gather her things in preparation to leave.Beth insisted on Luna having lunch with her before leaving so she grabbed her saddlebags and followed her inside. As she entered the woman’s house her heart sank. She had been so distracted by coming up with answers to the questions Beth had started to ask that she didn’t sense any magic until it was too late. 

The moment her foot crossed the threshold she found herself bound by vines much like she had bound the men in the forest at the beginning of her evaluation. Her foot had landed on a runestone and the vines had sprung forward too fast for her to react. Any attempts to struggle against the vines only resulted in them tightening their hold and Luna fell still to conserve her strength and focus on developing an escape plan. Magic pressed at her as Beth quickly closed the door and a man knelt beside Luna, “Looks like you caught us a nice little weasel Beth. Excellent work.”

Luna turned her eyes to the man, studying his face for any signs of who he may be and what his intentions were. He was not one of the men who had made their appearance during the first day of her evaluation and he was not familiar to her, but he was a Spring and was directing his magic toward her now, searching her for something and trying to worm hiss way into her mind. “What do you want?” She asked in a frantic tone as her eyes moved to search her surroundings for any clues.

“There’s a nice little reward out for your capture. Though, I heard a rumor that you have something with you that’s worth even more than the reward.” He grabbed Luna painfully by her shoulder and hulled her into a sitting position. “So, you’re gonna give me what you got and I might just be convinced to let you go before the lawkeepers make it here.” He tried to use his gift to compel her into compliance.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She turned pleading eyes to Beth, “Tell him, I’m just a girl traveling to meet my uncle, I don’t have anything of value. You’ve seen my clothes, my horse. Do you really believe we have anything of value?”

The woman turned her eyes away, “I’ll go take care of her horse.”

“Please, don’t hurt her! She’s a good horse. You saw that today. Please don’t hurt her.” Being tied up on the floor with a rugged looking man sneering at her made it hard to assume that “take care of” didn’t mean harm.

“Don’t be worrying about your horse girl, you should be worrying about yourself.”

“My uncle is expecting me. He will send the lawkeepers when I don’t arrive on time. My-my father is a soldier, he will come looking for me too.” She had to convince this man he was mistaken in her identity. “Please. I don’t have much coin left but you can have it all.”

“I’m not interested in your coin, I’m interested in the little treasure that you have.”

She shook her head, “I don’t have any treasure. My horse is my only possession with any value.”

“Quit lying, the weapons in that belt around your waist are worth more than that horse.”

Luna’s expression hardened as she stopped the charade of being an innocent girl. She had been using her cloak to hide her weapons all day, and the runes stitched into the seams had helped, but obviously her current predicament made them noticeable again. “Fine, I possess some things of more value than the horse, but my weapons can hardly be considered treasure.”

“Then you know where the treasure is.” He used his gift to search her words and concluded that they were truth, but he continued to press as he pulled her fallen saddlebags to himself and began to rummage through them.

Luna had to be careful now, she could feel the magic pressing harder, trying to search her mind and she was steadily forming a headache from trying to resist. “I don’t even know what treasure you’re talking about. My family has never had much by way of wealth. These weapons are old, saved up for and purchased generations ago and then passed down to me. There are no jewels in their hilts, you are welcome to look and I have only seen fancy jewelry in marketplace booths, never among my possessions.” As the man focused more on searching her mind, Luna began to slowly work at her bindings, trying to get just enough room to slip a blade out to cut a vine.

The man studied her closely, narrowing his eyes, “Well, I suppose I can still get a nice reward for turning you in. You did a good job changing your appearance, but that scar on your chin gave you away.” He smirked a little and stood, dropping her saddlebags and turning to pick up a weapon.

Luna used the moment his back was turned and his magic relaxed to cut away the vines and lunge, tackling the man before he had a moment to process what was happening. She had to move fast to keep him from using his gift so she bound his wrists with a length of the vine before jumping up and darting toward the door, snatching up her saddlebags and stuffing her hand into her rune pouch as she went. She didn’t know how long she had before the lawkeepers arrived so she couldn’t take the time to properly immobilize him. Instead, she focused on maintaining her supplies and dropped a flash rune as she had before followed by one that caused a loud crack like thunder, hoping to stun her opponent long enough to put some distance between them. 

She darted through the streets of Gallingway, grateful that Beth had at least shown her around before leading her into a trap. She was now able to navigate her way through the town and took the most likely route Beth would have chosen to take to the western stables. She could only hope that the woman was taking her horse there if it was true that she knew the stables’ owner. She pulled the hood of her cloak up as she went, hoping the runes sewn into it would help her evade notice as she went. Her head ached from fighting to keep her mind her own during the man’s interrogation and her arms were covered in goosebumps from the magic slowly building through the town. 

Luna was impressed by the magical presence, it was a dangerous risk. Seven years ago the queen had initiated a purge, seeking to destroy all dragons and springs not related to the royal family or directly controlled by them. Now, she had Dark Knights spread throughout the kingdom to identify anyone who may have escaped the Purge and bring them to her. The knights used the death element which could be used to sense the presence of draconic power, and her attacker had saturated the air with his gift in search of her.

She spotted her horse as Beth led her around a corner and ran to catch up, quickly maneuvering to jump in the saddle once she was close enough. Her horse tossed its head and snapped at the woman holding its reins once Luna was seated on her back. Beth to let go in surprise, allowing the two of them to escape and race toward the town’s western gate. As they got close she could sense the magic gathering there and threw a pair of rune stones ahead of her. When they impacted the ground, two walls of earth shot up pushing people out of the road and blocking their reentry, giving her a clear path out through the gates. She spurred her horse forward into a full gallop as they raced out of town. 


	4. Master of the Feint

Night came sooner, and colder, than Luna expected. She had turned off the road once Gallingway was out of sight and started making her way north through the mountains. Her captor’s magic was still present, like a constant tickle in the back of her mind, but it was weakening with every foot of distance she put behind her. There was no doubt she was being tracked, but she had better chances at escape in the forest than in town. There were too many people in town, but the forest was her territory, her home.

Once she was far enough off the road, Luna began to lay traps of her own, carefully overlaying them to ensure one trap would trigger another and hopefully ensnare the springs hunting her. She also set non-magical traps to prevent them from being sensed ahead of time. She laid false trails that would lead anyone tracking her into a trap, then took a different path away from the traps, making for a more direct path to her evaluation campsite. 

By the time she felt safe enough to make camp, Luna could barely feel her fingers and face. She refilled her waterskin at a stream, then let her horse drink and graze while she searched for shelter. At last she found what she was looking for, a cleft between two rocky outcrops, big enough to shelter her and her horse from the wind. She retrieved the animal and brought her back to establish her makeshift camp, setting traps and alarms around the perimeter to hopefully avoid any nighttime surprises.

She couldn't risk a fire, but tucked rune stones inside her cloak and her horse’s blanket to generate warmth that would last a few hours. Then she ate a few dry rations and thought ahead to the next day’s journey.

It was well beyond midnight when she finally laid down and closed her eyes to rest. Her headache from battling magical influences had finally started to fade and she sighed as she sank into unconsciousness. 

Luna woke up tired, but more confident in the rest of her evaluation. She had made it through town, despite her mistakes, and now she was back among the trees and mountains. The sounds that met her ears were familiar, the sights soothing, and the smells comforting. She knew what to do in the woods, knew what to expect and how to act, and most importantly, there were no people.

Her horse greeted her with a snort as she began to get ready for the day and the final leg of her evaluation. The journey home was bound to be more challenging. She had yet to see her father and he always showed up at least once during her evaluations. Last year he had even staged himself as an injured traveler who had fallen across her path and she had to bandage and tend to his wounds as part of the evaluation. This year he had given her three days more than necessary for her to travel to Gallingway and back which meant he had big plans to delay her along the way. It was foolish of her to hope she had evaded those plans. 

The sky above was overcast and the winter wind blew through the trees, bringing with it the threat of a storm. Luna shivered and pulled her cloak close before settling in the saddle and riding forth, her eyes constantly scanning for potential threats. 

By nightfall it had started to snow and Luna was getting antsy. She hadn’t encountered a single trap nor felt a trace of magic all day. Even when she’d stopped to consciously search for any hint of her pursuers presence she had failed to sense anything. She was beginning to wonder if the lack of incident was a tactic to purposefully put her on edge. 

She traveled until the light began to wane then made camp in a hollow beneath a ridge in the brushy area of a deadfall. The snow swirled in eddies around her, thicker than before. How would this impact the rest of her evaluation, she wondered. The snow was early this year and she had never dealt with it before in the middle of an evaluation. It was guaranteed to present her with more challenges than even her father had been able to plan. 

The next morning, Luna started awake, not because of an alarm or the sound of a trap being sprung, but by the eerie, unnatural silence. At least four inches of snow lay upon the forest floor and a new snow was falling. Cautious, Luna dug through her bag of runes, tying one to each of her horse’s legs to allow her to move through the snow with barely a trace. 

She moved to gather her things, almost relieved when she turned to leave and saw the man who had captured her in Gallingway. He had used the muffling effect of the snow to sneak up on her and now stood with a sword in each hand and a smirk on his face, “I knew my persistence would pay off. I even met a couple of friends along the way.” 

Two men appeared from the trees on cue, both equally armed and equally smug. Luna was now facing all three men she had fought against during her evaluation so far. Her normal surprise tactics wouldn’t be as effective against the men this time and at least two of them were Springs. She finally appreciated the extra time she’d been given. This fight was either going to be short and decisive, or more likely, it was going to be long and grueling with many interludes of running away.

Luna slowly put her hands up, “Easy, fellas. No need for all those weapons against a defenseless little girl, is there?” She needed to draw the men in if she was going to have any chances of escaping the battle to come. Springs have strategic advantage at a distance, but disadvantage at close range. She was apprehensive about her next move when only one of the three men approached, especially when it was the only one whose skills she was uncertain of, but her only choices were to act or to allow herself to be captured.

She waited until the man was within striking distance, then feinted left and tried to run past him to the right. He had anticipated the move and dropped a dagger to grab one of her wrists. Luna scooped up the fallen dagger with one hand then stepped back quickly, driving her elbow into his diaphragm with as much force and speed as she could muster. He tried to dodge, but didn’t account properly for her speed and the blow knocked the wind from him.

Luna was rewarded with his grunt of pain. She took advantage of his loosened grip to pull her wrist free, just in time to dodge the other two men who rushed forward. Changing direction to try to catch her cost them precious seconds, giving Luna the chance to throw her dagger at her closest opponent. He dodged easily, as expected, but she charged him even as the dagger left her hand, closing the short distance in time to drive the hilt of her weapon into his gut simulating a killing blow.

He fell accordingly, but Luna had no time to plan her next move as a sudden shiver ran up her spine and a ring of fire sprang up around her. The snow inside the ring melted quickly and steam rose around her as she searched for an escape. She sheathed her dagger and put her hand in the rune pouch on her belt as she adjusted her grip on her sword and tried to see her enemies through the haze of fire and steam. Her last attack had successfully left her with only two confirmed srings to face. It would be hard, but at least she knew what she was up against now that the man with unknown skills was defeated. 

Luna turned toward a flicker of movement and she brought her blade up to meet the next strike. She’d found the rune she wanted at the same time and used it in the palm of her hand to catch the next sword swipe. Steel splintered in her hand and fell to the ground as Luna swung her own sword toward the man, aiming to get him to block and give her time to redraw her dagger for a kill strike. 

The ring of fire flickered, giving Luna the only hint at her having any success in the fight. She tried to press her advantage but a vicious strike drove her backwards, nearly into the flames that eagerly jumped forward to singe her cloak and hair. She gasped the pain from the flames’ heat and felt her heart flutter with panic at the apparent hopelessness of her situation. Before she had taken the man by surprise, this time she would be lucky to escape. 

She ducked another attack, her mind scrambling to find a way out.Her hand fumbled in her rune pouch as she tried to think of something to use against her opponent. At this range, the runes she’d used before would stun her as much as her enemy and she guessed that he would be able to burn the vines quickly with his already conjured flames. 

As she dodged the next swipe of a blade, her foot slipped slightly in the mud that had formed when the ring of fire had melted the snow and finally, a plan came to her. She knocked away the man’s weapon on her next block and smirked at him, causing the exact moment of hesitation and confusion she needed from him to act. Her hand shot forward, losing a stone aimed directly for the man’s chest then tossed another rune at his feet. Her plan worked perfectly as the man dodged to avoid the first stone and stepped heavily on the second. His foot shot out from under him as he activated the rune and the mud there solidified to ice. 

Luna darted forward in the moment he was off balance and stopped the tip of her sword a breath away from his neck.

His hands went up in acknowledgement of the “kill” and the circle of flames disappeared as laughter filled the air, “I can’t believe you fell for the same move as me, Seth! Even after your fancy fire display. How does it feel to be bested by a little kid...Twice!” The first man Luna had “killed” could barely stay on his feet from laughing so hard and Seth glared at him in response.

Luna did her best to ignore the exchange as she scanned her surroundings for the third assailant. He’d disappeared during her fight with Seth, and she noted with some annoyance that her horse had done the same. She’d have to track the animal down again, but couldn’t focus on that as movement caught her eye and the man from Gallingway charged forward, twin blades drawn.

“Watch for the feint, Buddy. She got us both, don’t give her the satisfaction of three for three.” Luna’s first victim commented with a snicker that earned him an elbow in his already bruised ribs as Seth tried to quiet him.

Luna side-stepped the man’s charge and nearly succeeded in tripping him as he passed. She got the feeling he was a little more erratic than the others but that almost made him more dangerous than them. Level-headed fighters can be predicted, erratic fighters didn’t stick to set fighting styles of formalities.

He recovered from his blind charge and turned on Luna again with a magical blow that knocked the breath from her lungs as it threw her off her feet. She landed hard and sat dazed for a moment before being forced to roll out of the way as two swords flashed downward toward her. 

She scrambled to her feet quickly and barely dodged the twin blades again as her vision blurred with vertigo. She threw a dagger to give herself a moment to breath before stepping forward for a serious counterattack of her own. Her sword met one of his and she dodged the second as she moved her primary weapon to her off hand and drew a dagger. A shiver in her spine warned her to dodge another magical attack and she jumped aside as she searched for an opening. 

Two swords swiped in her direction as she blocked each with one of her blades. When her dagger connected with one of the swords, a rune flared and a current transferred down the steel, shocking it out of his hand. He growled as his blade fell then lunged for her again, his eyes flashing with annoyance. 

Luna hid a smirk as she noticed his annoyance and let his next attack wrench her sword from her hand to bring him in close enough for her to tap his elbow with her dagger. The move earned her another pained grunt as the rune flashed again. Her now free hand moved to her rune pouch again as she danced away from the next swipe of a blade and began to develop a new tactic for ending this fight. Another step back drew her opponent toward a snow drift and a rune tossed to the side caused the drift to explode with a directional force that covered her opponent in icy slush. 

A burst of fire exploded from the man along with a snarl as he barreled forward toward the last place he’d seen Luna before being blinded by snow. She wasn’t there though, and his rage-filled charge was rewarded with a burst of moss that sprang from a rune and stuck to his snow-dampened skin. It was harmless, but annoying, especially as their observers snickered. 

Her attacker turned to search for where Luna had gone and was blinded by a flash of light before a rune hit his chest and a blade tapped his throat as he was bound with vines. 

He growled as he fell and Seth’s friend really did fall to the ground with laughter this time, but Luna had to focus on her evaluations. She didn’t even look back as she snatched up her fallen weapon then ran off, putting her back to the circle of melted snow and following the easiest path through the woods in hopes that her horse had done the same when it bolted.


	5. Failures and Partial Successes

The forest was unusually quiet as Luna made her way back to her new campsite with a full waterskin. The snow had stopped shortly after she had tracked down her horse the day before and the sun had been shining for a full day, warming the woods and starting the snow to melt. 

When she’d left camp to go to the stream and prepare for the day, birds were singing and squirrels were scampering through the trees. Now there was only silence. She slowed her pace, moving forward quietly and unsheathing her sword.Her muscles tensed with a growing sense of danger and she quieted her breathing, her eyes and ears alert for any indication of her enemy’s position. She turned her head to check behind her and instantly realized her mistake. Her attacker wasn’t following, as she’d feared, he was in front of her.

She caught the barest glimpse of a figure a short distance ahead, pressed against a tree and cloaked in the colors of the forest. No sooner had Luna registered his presence than he charged; barely allowing her time to spin and get her blade up for a block.

The impact of the steel knocked her to the ground and wrenched her weapon from her grip. She hit the ground hard then rolled quickly to doge a sword strike from the man now towering over her. She felt panic threatening to overtake her as she fumbled her dagger and only just managed to get it up in time to block another strike, narrowly avoiding a slash across her face. This opponent was stronger than the ones before, his attacks skilled, full of force, and he threw his weight into each strike, the impact of his blade against hers jarring. She kicked out toward his sword hand in desperation, her heart racing as she fought for her life.

The man caught her foot with his off hand and used the iron grip to pull her closer to him, lifting his sword to stab downward toward her. She rolled to dodge, twisting her leg awkwardly then rolled back to throw a dagger toward the hand keeping her captive. The blade glanced off the protective glove he wore, but her leg was released and she quickly scrambled away, moving to regain control of her sword while keeping out of the enemy weapon’s reach.

Luna managed to grab her sword and scramble to her feet, then turned to face the man again, hoping to be better matched now that she had her footing back. Her opponent advanced too fast, she had to block a strike the moment she turned to face him and feared she would drop her blade again when the clash of steel rang in her ears and rattled her teeth. She did have an easier time defending herself, but as the fight went on, she knew she was outmatched. 

A few moments later, she found herself unarmed, out of breath, and flat on her back in melting snow with the tip of a blade hovering over her throat. 

After a moment of silence, he spoke, “What was your mistake?” he asked in an even tone.

“I dropped-” she started to answer but was interrupted.

“Wrong! What was your mistake?” sterner now.

Luna watched him for a moment, searching his face. “I tried to kick-”

“Wrong! What was your mistake?”

She shifted a little uncomfortably on the ground, feeling the melted snow further soak her clothes, reminding her she had spent the first half of the fight on the ground. She wanted to get up, but the blade at her through kept her in place and she searched for the correct answer.

“I doubted myself.” She confessed.

“Explain.” Luna thought she saw the twitch of a smile and could tell by his tone he was proud of the answer.

She paused to think before answering, “I recognized the forest had gone quiet, I let that make me believe I had failed to realize I’d been followed. That’s when I turned to defend against an ambush from behind only to make myself vulnerable to a frontal assault.”

He “hmmed”, “You acted on impulse, without relying on instinct.” He kept the tip of his sword at her throat, keeping her pinned in the icy mud. “Your instincts were good, they always have been. Had you trusted them you wouldn’t have started the fight at such a disadvantage. You need to find a balance between instinct and logic. You held your own better against the others, what was different this time?”

“Your physical attacks were more malicious.”

“Your true enemies are going to be malicious. You can’t let that send you into a panic.”

“How do I keep from panicking when I am so outmatched?”

“How did you avoid panic when facing Springs?” He raised an eyebrow.

Luna squirmed again, the cold starting to burn her skin, her waterlogged clothes no longer providing any protection. “You taught me magic can be defeated, or at least outwitted…”

“And I can’t?”

“You haven’t yet…” She turned her eyes away.

“I make mistakes. Mistakes can be exploited.”

Luna didn’t comment, having no words. She had failed, the blade at her throat meant her evaluation was over and she had lost the opportunity to carry on her family’s legacy as a guardian of the charm.

“Luna, look at me.” He interrupted her through. “Your evaluation is not over yet. What were my mistakes?”

“Your mistakes?” She felt dazed, her mind still on her failure.

“Yes, my mistakes.” There was an edge to his voice.

Luna blinked, her father’s tone forcing her out of her daze. “You made it too quiet.” She spoke quickly, not taking time to fully form the thought. Evaluations weren’t over until her father declared them to be and she had just failed further by letting herself wallow in the belief she had failed.

“Explain.”

“You got into position too quickly and disturbed the animals. If you’d taken your time, waited longer, I would have gone about cleaning up camp and paying less attention to my surroundings. That would have been the perfect time for an ambush, instead of when I was on guard and anticipating attack.”

His sword dropped away from her neck and he nodded slightly, “Better.” Then he sheathed his blade and stepped back to give her room to stand, “anything else?”

Luna played the fight over again in her head as she stood, “You gave me a chance to defend against your ambush. Yes, I had turned my back, but you charged too soon. I saw you out of the corner of my eye.”

“Good. Now, go get yourself cleaned up. We’ll make camp here for the day to let you, and your clothes, dry out and then move to the evaluation campsite tomorrow. It’s time for the knowledge portion of your evaluation, given that you’re dead.” He smirked and turned in the direction of her camp.

Luna ducked her head a little and returned to the stream where she had filled her waterskin. Her father had declared her dead, it was a relief to not have to be so vigilant against ambush, but it was at the high cost of defeat. 

What was left for her father to evaluate, she wondered. Her father mentioned beginning the knowledge portion of the evaluation but she couldn’t recall any previous evaluations having such a portion. What knowledge was she supposed to have that hadn’t already been tested? She’d used runes, developed a detailed alternate identity with an accurate awareness of geography, and had even demonstrated tactical awareness in detailing the mistakes her father had made during their fight. She speculated that they might talk about everything in more detail, or maybe he would question her on herbs and medicine, she hadn’t really demonstrated those skills yet. 

“What else did you try to say you’d done wrong during our fight?” Xenophilius barely gave Luna a chance to return to camp before questioning.

“My mistake during our fight?” She tried to process the question and recall their earlier conversation. After a moment the answer came to her and she bowed her head, “I tried to kick you…”

“You lost your wits and acted on a desperate impulse,” he clarified.

“I’m sorry, father,” she said contritely.

“Don’t apologize, just do better next time. You’re still young, Little Dragonfly.” He smiled gently and ruffled her hair. “You’re going to make mistakes. You just have to make sure you learn from them, same as you’ve got to learn from your enemy’s mistakes.”

“How can I not panic and lose my wits in a fight against you? You’re so much stronger, and more skilled. When you came bearing down on me I knew I didn’t stand a chance.”

“You train and you trust your instincts. And, you don’t let yourself accept defeat before the fight’s even started. You’re smaller than me, yes, but you’re also faster. You know that. Don’t let fear make you forget yourself and use your size and speed to your advantage, same as you did fighting the others. Just because you haven’t beaten me before doesn’t mean that you never will.”

Luna nodded, doubtful, but not willing to say as much to her father. Instead, she changed the topic, “were you watching my fights with the others?”

“I’ve observed you off and on. You did a good job of going unnoticed though. You even lost me for a bit there when you got to Gallingway.”

“But, wasn’t Beth one of your friends?”

“Her and her husband are friends of a friend. I did not recruit them directly.”

“Oh…” The revelation made something itch at the back of her mind, as if her father not knowing the couple made some aspect of her interactions with them suspicious. Her tired mind couldn’t quite put the pieces together though, especially as her father moved on to quiz her on herbs, medicine, and magic. Despite Luna’s lack of connection to the ancient draconic power, and her father’s limited power as a Pebbler, someone whose magic could only be used with the aid of carved runes, he insisted on teaching her all he knew. He wanted her to be able to think like a Spring, to increase her chances of survival should she find herself facing one in battle.

*******

Xenophilius continued to quiz Luna and discuss her performance so far in the evaluation as they spent the day resting in camp then moved to their evaluation campsite the next day. When they finally settled in for the night, he sat across the fire from her and spoke. “So, your evaluation is officially over now. How do you think you did?”

“I died...I can’t see how that is anything less than failure…”

“You die every year.” He smiled, a teasing note to his voice. “Yet, you’ve passed all your evaluations so far. What makes you think this year is any different?”

“Before you were just testing my skills. This year I was actually trying to earn something…” Disappointment weighed heavily on her at the thought of failing to have earned the charm.

“True…” He nodded, “But you didn’t fail completely. You survived for the majority of the time and made the trip faster than expected. You escaped an attempted capture and defeated three powerful springs, not to mention evading every single trap I had laid for you along the way. I say, despite some of the mistakes you made, you have proven yourself partially worthy of your goal. As such, you will be allowed to take possession of your birthday gift on occasion, when I have determined that such possession will not put it at risk based on your plans for the day. I believe it is fair for me to require you to finally defeat me in combat in order to earn full time possession.”

Luna hesitated, still doubtful she would ever accomplish such a feat, but the thought of being allowed to carry the charm again, even part-time, was elating. She could almost feel the warmth it had given her again and had to fight the urge to ask for it right away. That would be disrespectful to her father after he’d given such a generous verdict on her evaluation. Instead she smiled at him, “Thank you, father.”

“You impressed me this week, Little Dragonfly. I look forward to seeing you grow and learn from your experiences during this, and all your future evaluations.” He stood and walked around the fire to pat her shoulder affectionately then shook her hand. Luna couldn’t help but smile as the warm brass of the charm was pressed into her palm.


End file.
